On the first anniversary of the late Queen’s death, Prince Harry was spotted at St George’s Chapel in Windsor after paying his respects at his grandmother’s final resting place
Prince Harry was reportedly only given permission at the last minute to visit the late Queen’s grave on the anniversary of her death – and it was on one condition. The Duke of Sussex happened to be in the UK, the first anniversary of his grandmother’s death, after attending a charity event the night before. The following morning, he was spotted leaving St George’s Chapel in Windsor, Elizabeth II’s final resting place alongside the late Prince Philip.
He was seen looking emotional as he exited the chapel in an image snapped by a member of the public which was then circulated on social media. Soon after, he travelled to Dusseldorf, where the Invictus Games kicked off.
According to The Telegraph, Harry had wanted to pay his respects at his grandmother’s place of rest when he realised he would be in the UK on the first anniversary of her death. It is said he didn’t hold out much hope of getting permission to be able to visit the chapel. However, the publication adds that Buckingham Palace told him at the last minute he could visit, so long as it was kept private.
Harry marked Friday’s poignant date miles apart from his estranged father King Charles and brother Prince William. Charles attended prayers at Crathie Kirk on what was also his Accession Day while William and wife Kate were at a special service at St David’s Cathedral in Wales.
Relations between William and Harry have long been strained despite their closeness in their younger years. The fallout is said to have begun before Harry’s wedding to former Suits star, the Duchess of Sussex, with the duke accusing William of being snobbish to his bride.
But it worsened after the accusations Harry publicly levelled at his brother in double tell-alls: his memoir, Spare, and his Netflix documentary. In his autobiography, released just months after Elizabeth II died, Harry accused William of physically attacking him and pushing him into a dog bowl in a row over Meghan.
Harry and Meghan, in their Netflix series two months after the Queen’s death, claimed Kensington Palace lied to protect William when it issued a statement denying a story he had bullied Harry out of the royal family. Harry also wrote of how Charles pleaded with his two sons during a tense meeting at Windsor just after the funeral of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, saying: “Please, boys. Don’t make my final years a misery.”